Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara

One of my favorite mascaras is Clinique High Impact mascara. I was hoping to find a mascara from the drugstore that would be a good dupe for it.  Wouldn't most of us enjoy a product that is identical (or extremely similar) for a fraction of the price?  I know I do.  So, I started doing a bit of research and most things pointed towards this Maybelline Full 'N Soft mascara.   I read a lot of reviews and decided I was going to give it a shot.

I have to say, it is pretty darned close!  It isn't spot on, but close enough that I will continue to purchase this over the Clinique High Impact Mascara.   

This mascara comes with a more traditional style brush.  It isn't a plastic or rubber bristle.  It has the bristles that twist around it.  This is more to my liking.  I will use some mascaras with the rubber wands, but more often than not, I don't enjoy them.   The traditional styled ones seem to swipe through my lashes better and create a more fluttery lash look.  The brush definitely reminds me a lot of the High Impact one.

This removed extremely easily!  It was a lot like the Clinique in that way, too.  They both will wash off without having to rub a lot or use crazy makeup removers.   I can wet my eyes and most of it will come off right then and there.  With a standard face wash, the rest cleans away.   For that reason, it isn't the best option if you need something to hold up against water, rain, or tears.  99% of the time, however, I want something that will wash away with ease.  

Now, I know some will fear that because it washes away so easily, it won't hold up throughout the day.  I didn't find any flaking away or creating circles under my eyes.  I wore this through several holiday events where I needed my makeup to stay looking fresh until the end.  I want my mascara to look perfect, just like everyone else, until I am ready for it to come off.  This held up absolutely amazing.

While wearing it, my lashes didn't feel brittle or hard.   While this isn't a make-or-break point for me, I know it is for others.  My lashes didn't feel heavy at all. Granted, with any mascara, you are going to know it is there should you take your fingers and touch your lashes, but this was significantly softer than most mascaras out there.  Hence the name, I guess!  HA!

This mascara didn't create a ton of length, but it also doesn't claim to do that.  It does make my lashes very black and full.  I don't have particularly impressive lashes while bare, but this makes them look much thicker. It was also a good layering mascara.  I found that I could layer on a couple of coats without it clumping or looking spider-like.  Further, I played around layering some other mascaras (ones for length, mostly) with this and it worked like a charm. 

I can't recall the exact price, but it wasn't too bad at all.  I do remember noticing it was cheaper than a lot of the mascaras currently on the shelf.  I bought mine from Target, but I'm certain you could find it in nearly any pharmacy/beauty department (CVS, Walgreens, Kmart, Walmart, Etc.)